Dark Memories
by Bishonen no Hime
Summary: Rated for some cussing. Something has been bothering Kagome, "Why does Sesshoumaru hate humans?" Myouga shows up and has a way to show her. Ch.3 completely different and Ch.4 totally new. DISCONTINUED!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshoumaru or ANYBODY from InuYasha. Though I wish I did. I'd want Fluffy from IY, and Hotohori from FY, and Ashram from ROLW and, oh, sorry, I got carried away. :-) Anyway, I don't own anybody (sniff sniff). Oh, but Ikari is my original character, I forgot! Anyway.....  
  
The rating on this WILL change and drastically. At one point it will become NC - 17 but only for one chapter and nothing else will happen in that chapter so those that don't like that stuff won't miss anything!  
Anyway, here we go!  
  
Prologue  
  
Kagome stared blankly into the flames of the dieing campfire, watching the embers glowing, fighting to stay aflame. Sango and Kirara slept soundly near the base of an old tree, the same tree that held InuYasha somewhere up in its branches. Miroku, after being clubbed several times with Hiraikotsu for his perverted tendencies, was sleeping quietly opposite of her and Shippo was curled up next to him. The forest had gotten quiet; the only sound was the quiet popping of the fire. But Kagome didn't notice. Her mind was somewhere else, reflecting back on the first time she had met Sesshoumaru, InuYasha's older half brother. Something had been bothering her since then and kept becoming stronger after each encounter with the older brother. The words he had spoken to InuYasha in their first fight, right before he tried to melt HER, were constantly repeating themselves over and over in her mind. He had called humans lowly and asked InuYasha: "Why protect them? Why miss them? Why love them?" What Kagome wanted to know was why Sesshoumaru thought so poorly of humans. She tried to dismiss it as him being stuck up and conceited but the feeling still wouldn't go way. Kagome sighed heavily and pulled her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. She knew she should be getting some sleep but it just kept nagging at her.  
InuYasha watched Kagome silently from his perch in the old tree. She was thinking really hard about something, but that's all he knew. He watched as she pulled her legs to her chest and set her chin on her knees. Her midnight black hair up in a ponytail to keep it from getting too messy while she slept. From time to time he could see her eyebrows draw together and her small, delicate lips purse together in concentration. InuYasha couldn't help but smile as he watched her. He would do that some times, watch her that is, when she was sleep. Sometimes he would kneel next to her sleeping form and just watch her. His smile suddenly faded. That fool girl should be sleeping; InuYasha thought to himself, she'll exhaust herself if she doesn't. They hadn't heard any rumors of a Shikon shard in at least a week, so they had decided to wander the area a bit to search for any clues. InuYasha huffed to himself and he silently stood up on the solid branch.   
Kagome heard InuYasha the moment he moved. He may be half demon but it was impossible for him to keep every single leaf from moving. Even a full-blooded demon couldn't to that. She didn't even bother to lift her head when he jumped out of the tree to land gracefully on the hard ground. Nor did she acknowledge him when he stomped over to her side and placed his hands on his hips. They stayed like that for a few moments until InuYasha moved. Kagome almost jumped out of her skin when he sighed and plopped down on the ground next to her. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye to try to figure out what he was doing. His face was calm and casual, his long white hair puddle on the ground, his eyes staring at the practically dead embers.   
  
"What are you thinking about?" he asked her suddenly.  
  
"Wh...what?" Kagome asked, startled by his sudden interest in her thoughts. He never cares what I think.  
  
"You've been thinking about something all day Kagome. I asked you what it was." He didn't raise his voice, there even seemed to be a hint of chastisement in his tone.  
  
"I, um,...." How should she answer him? How would he react to hearing that she had been thinking about Sesshoumaru? Would he be jealous? Well, she thought dejectedly, the truth is always the best. But Kagome couldn't help but laugh self-consciously as she visualized his reaction to her answer.  
  
"I was thinking about Sesshoumaru." She stated as matter-of-factually as she could.  
  
But the shock and outrage she had expected from him didn't come.  
  
All InuYasha did was snort, look at her, and ask "Why?"  
  
Kagome was stunned. Not only was InuYasha taking an interest in her thoughts, but also he wasn't even being his normal overly confident, overly annoying self. Him being in this rare state of mind, Kagome decided to ask him the question that had been hounding her for so long now. After all, he was Sesshoumaru's brother, maybe he knew why.  
  
"Why does Sesshoumaru hate humans so much?" She asked him, purposely looking into his amber eyes.   
  
InuYasha was stunned to say the least. He didn't know what had gotten into him. He had purposefully come over here to tell her to go the sleep or she'd slow them down tomorrow. But he suddenly found himself filled with the overwhelming desire to know what she thought about so late at night. But he would never had guessed that her own thoughts mirrored his own when it came to his brother. From the moment he could understand he knew that his brother hated him. All he knew was that it had something to do with him being half human. He had tried to be friends with his brother but Sesshoumaru would just ignore him and walk away from him. And when their father died and Sesshoumaru took over as Demon Lord of the Western Lands, he had ordered that InuYasha and his mother be thrown out. And that was all he knew. InuYasha sighed heavily as he gazed back into Kagome's blue-gray eyes.  
  
"I honestly don't know." He said quietly.   
  
"Oh."  
  
He saw her deflate some and felt bad, but he really didn't know.  
  
"I've thought about it a lot myself," he started uncertainly. He usually kept his thoughts like this to himself but he quickly started again as he saw the unhidden interest in her eyes and face.  
  
"When I was younger I always thought that maybe it was because he felt that our father was betraying his mother by marrying again and just used the fact of our having human blood as an excuse. But after our first fight over the Tetsusaiga I got the feeling that he thought of all humans as being worthless and beneath him. So now I don't know."  
  
An uncomfortable silence fell between them as Kagome digested what InuYasha had told her. Both of them stared at the ashen remains of the fire, each thinking their own thoughts. InuYasha stood suddenly, jarring Kagome from her thoughts. She looked up at him, expecting to see him tensing due to some incoming Yokai or the like. But to her shock he was relaxed and looking down at her. Her blue gray eyes widened as she saw a ghost of a smile touch his lips.   
  
"You should get some sleep Kagome." And with that he turned and walked briskly toward his tree.  
  
"Oh, so now you think you can tell me what to do huh?" She called to him playfully.  
  
"Feh, whatever you fool girl. Fine don't sleep." He turned around to point at her. "But if you fall behind   
  
I'm not going to wait for you." After finally saying what he meant to say all along, he turned on his heel and stalked back to the tree.  
  
As Kagome watched his snowy hair sway back and forth as he walked, her exhaustion from the day slammed into with the force of a dump truck. Kagome yawned a bit and stretched, and crawled into her sleeping bag to lie on the hard, dry ground. As she switched positions trying to get comfortable, that little nagging doubt came back and was almost demanding an answer. Kagome clenched her fists in aggravation. 'I don't KNOW!' she screamed in her mind. 'I can't answer. Now shut up and let me sleep.' The question was still there but it had quieted immensely. Kagome angrily shoved it to the back of her mind so she could sleep. She turned over again, finally finding a some-what comfortable position in the bumps and curves of the earth. And just as Kagome's eyes started to drift shut,   
"OOOWWW! *SMACK* What the hell....." InuYasha shouted, unknowingly waking his other companions.  
  
'Dear GOD, will I ever get some sleep?!?!?!?' Kagome moaned and sat up, forever losing the comfortable position she had.   
  
"InuYasha..." Shippo called to him groggily. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Feh, it's just that damned Myoga-jiji again."  
  
Everyone groaned and laid back down.  
  
Except Kagome.  
  
'Myouga...' Kagome gasped. 'He's old. He's served InuYasha's family a long time. He might know!'  
  
Kagome jumped up suddenly, almost tripping in the folds of her sleeping bad in her haste. She ran quickly over to the dark tree and looked up. She stared up in the darkness for a while before her eyes adjusted. She could make out InuYasha's outline and the filter moonlight that reflected off his white hair. She could also make out the amber eyes that stared at her questioningly. Kagome shivered involuntarily, just seeing eyes like that staring at her out of the darkness gave her the creeps. Predicting that InuYasha had squished her informant she asked,  
  
"Is he re-inflated yet?" Her voice quiet as to not reawaken her friends.  
  
"Unfortunately." He sighed irritably.  
  
"Myouga-jisan?" She called up.  
  
"Hai, Lady Kagome. What do you need?" He asked cheerfully as if he hadn't been as flat as a pancake a   
moment ago.   
  
"I need to ask you a question." She stated as the flea demon hoped down the branches to land on her shoulder. He nodded his round head, telling her to go ahead. Kagome took a deep breath,  
  
"Why does Sesshoumaru hate humans?" she asked in a rush.  
  
Kagome saw the flea flinch and he looked nervous for a few moments, but said nothing. The moments stretched into minutes as sweatdrops accumulated on the flea's head.  
  
"Feh." InuYasha grunted, turning his back to the pair. "He doesn't know."  
  
"Ah...Your Lord father commanded me not to tell anyone...." Myouga said in a whisper, hoping no one would hear. But InuYasha's ears swiveled around to catch the quiet words and heard them perfectly. As did Kagome.  
  
"You KNOW?!?!?" They both said in surprise as Kagome grabbed him and brought him to eye level and InuYasha jumped from his branch and leaned close.  
  
"I, ah , well....yes."  
  
"Well TELL US!" InuYasha almost shouted at his retainer.  
  
"Sssshhhhuuuussshhhhh." Kagome hissed, glancing at their sleeping companions  
  
"As I said Lord InuYasha, your Lord Father made me promise not to tell."  
  
"Myouga-jisan," Kagome started, tears forming in her eyes, "I won't be able to sleep well again until I know this! PPPPPLLLLLLEEEEEAAAAASSSSSEEEEE?"  
  
Myouga felt his resolve falter at the sight of her tears.  
  
"I can't tell you." He said uncertainly and weakly.  
  
Both Kagome and InuYasha's shoulders dropped in defeat. Then Kagome started to sniffle, her heaving breathes making her shoulders rise and fall sporadically. InuYasha glanced at her nervously, 'I hate it when she cries.' He looked through the hair that fell from her ponytail to see her face. Tears streaked their way down her pale face but a small smile played upon her lips. It was then that InuYasha realized what she was doing and decided to play along. He looked accusingly at Myouga, who had hopped onto a nearby branch, as if to say 'See what you've done...' InuYasha gently patted her shoulder and said,  
  
"It's okay Kagome."  
  
"It's not okay!" Kagome whispered vehemently. "This has been bothering me since I first met your brother and I haven't gotten a good night's sleep since! I guess, *sniffle sniffle*, I'll never sleep well again. All because," Here she lifted her head to stare at Myouga through red, teary eyes and said, "YOU feel that you have to keep some promise to someone who is dead. Did he ever think that there would be a situation like this? Did he ever think that Sesshoumaru would try to kill InuYasha and his friends repetitively? Please Myouga!" She jumped over to look him straight in the eyes, and that's hard to do considering how small they are.   
  
Myouga looked into her tear filled eyes, and broke down. He fell to his small knees and all six of his hands.  
  
"I am sooo sorry that I cannot tell you Lady Kagome!"  
  
Kagome let the tears and sobs come freely as she buried her face in her hands.  
  
"But I can show you."  
  
"Show us?" Kagome and InuYasha repeated, looking at him questioningly.  
  
Myouga nodded quickly, happy that Kagome had stopped crying.  
  
"There is a place, I will take you there tomorrow. It can show you."  
  
Kagome sniffed, "Promise?"  
  
"I swear on my life Lady Kagome."  
  
She nodded and straitened herself up to see InuYasha staring at her strangely.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Is that what you do to me? When you are upset with me you cry. Were all those times you cried and   
made me feel horrible an act?!?!?" Kagome suddenly got nervous.  
  
"Haha, uh, what? I don't know what you're talking about InuYasha, any way I'm..."  
  
"Wait a minute!"  
  
"going to bed.."  
  
"Oh, no you don't!"  
  
"Goodnight!"  
  
"Get back here and answer me!" InuYasha yelled at her.  
  
Kagome stood over her sleeping bag but instead of climbing in she turned around and glared at him  
  
"Sit."  
  
"BITCH!"  
  
  
The sun shone brightly through the treetops, the birds sang, and a gentle breeze caressed the leaves. And our group of Shard hunters stood at the opening of a small, dark cave. If Myouga hadn't known of the cave's exact position, they would have over looked it. The mouth of the cave was covered in thick, slimy vines, they weaved themselves almost into a net over the opening and climbed up the side of the rocky outcropping.  
  
"What is this place again?" InuYasha asked irritably eyeing the unwelcoming cave.  
  
"This is the Cave of Records." Myouga stated proudly. "Many centuries ago, some of the most powerful yokai gathered together to discuss away to record all the important events in yokai history. So they pooled their magic's together and created this cave. It's like a self-maintaining library. It records all the events that happen in the lives of the yokai nobility."  
  
"Why only the nobility?" Miroku asked curiously.  
  
"Because only the nobility were thought to do anything important."  
  
"But there is a barrier around it." Sango pointed at the barely-visible light blue shield around the opening.  
  
"Yes, well, that is to keep everyone except yokai's of noble blood from entering."  
  
"WHAT!!!!!!!!!!" Kagome shouted as she grabbed Myouga off InuYasha's shoulder and held his head in-between her forefinger and thumb.  
  
"I thought you said that you would show ME!!! Bu only InuYasha can enter the cave!"  
  
"If you all hold hands," the flea squeaked out, "then you can go in."  
  
"Oh," Kagome loosened her grip, feeling bad about her angry outburst.  
  
"Well, lets get this over with." InuYasha sighed heavily. Then he looked purposefully at Kagome.  
  
"I want you next to me if anything goes wrong."  
  
Kagome blushed hotly as she nodded and put Myouga back on InuYasha's shoulder   
  
"I'll be next to Kagome." Sango said as she came up and Kagome took her hand. Shippo jumped on   
Kagome's shoulder and Kirara was on Sango's.  
  
"And I'll take her rear." Miroku said sweetly.  
  
"What!?!?!"  
  
"The rear, I meant the rear." Miroku quickly amended when Sango reached for Hiraikotsu.  
  
"You touch anything other than my hand Houshi-sama, and I'll let go of yours and you can wait outside."  
Miroku nodded enthusiastically and lightly took her offered hand.  
  
"We're off then.." InuYasha grabbed Kagome's and they entered the cave, parting vines at they went.  
  
Surprisingly enough they came to the main chamber very quickly. The group stood in a large cavern filled with clustered, floating, glowing orbs.   
  
"Each cluster is the recorded records (duh) involving a certain yokai." Myouga stated looking around.  
  
"So which one is Sesshoumaru's?" Shippo asked nervously, he didn't like this place, or Sesshoumaru.  
  
"Let's see... Milord told me once. There!!!" Myouga shouted, pointing excitingly towards a group of   
dark green orbs near the back.  
  
The group weaved their way in-between and around orbs to Sesshoumaru's "Records"  
  
"So which one is it?" InuYasha asked, trying to decide between the nine identical orbs.  
  
"Just think about your question, all of you, and Lord InuYasha must stick one of his hands into an orb. Any of them is fine. The orbs will search and find the answer you seek and show you the events that made it so."  
  
Everyone closed their eyes and thought of the question that Kagome and InuYasha wished to know.  
  
"Everyone ready?" InuYasha asked quietly.  
  
Everyone nodded.  
  
InuYasha swallowed nervously and shoved his hand into the closest forest green orb.  
  
I'm soooo sorry it's so long, and if you read all of it, I love you! The next chapters are the recordings from a third person's point of view. Please R&R!  
Chapter 1: The Innocence of Childhood.  
But only if people want me to continue.   
Houshi-sama means Buddhist priest. 


	2. Innocence of Childhood

The only thing that had changed is Inu/Sess' Father's Name. And I changed Ikari's hair color to a dark purple instead of red.   
Disclaimer: I don't own or claim to own anyone other than Ikari, she is my original character.   
I was sooooo happy when I got 15 reviews in a 24-hour period! Thank You!  
I know that there is one person in particular who is looking forward to the NC-17 chapter but that won't come until close to the end. I may add a few teasers and whatnot to tide you hentai people over! :D But.....not yet!  
People, I am not doing this to try to live up to anyone else's standards, and if you try to compare me to your own, I will fall miserably short. Everyone has his or her own ideas about how and why stuff happens and if you don't like mine, write your own.  
Anyway, on to where we left off...  
  
InuYasha felt a tingling sensation that began at his fingertips, which were in the center of the orb, and quickly swept up his arm. An involuntary gasp escaped his lips as the warm tingle swept into his mind, searching. He barely heard the others gasp as the magic flowed through him in them. And unconsciously, as if the magic told him to, InuYasha slowly let his eyes drift shut. In his mind, all he could see was a swirling green mist, twisting and churning as it searched for an answer.  
Unseen by the Inu-gumi, a small dart of lightning streaked from the orb that contained InuYasha's hand to the center of the orb to it's right. The light colors swirled in it for a moment before is shot a line to the orb next to it. The search finally ended when the answer they sought was found in an orb near the center of the cluster. The green mist in front of everyone slowly started to change colors and take form...  
  
Lord Inu-Taisho walked slowly down the worn dirt path that led from the gardens of his high mountain palace to the beautiful valley below. Every once and a while, a gentle breeze would tousle his long silver hair and tickle the sensitive, white ears that perched on top of his head. The simple dark green kimono and pants he wore kept getting staticy and clinging to him, royally ticking him off. The path itself was wide but it was surrounded closely on it edges by the thick underbrush that covered most of the forest floor. Spaced a little further away from the path were the huge oaken trees that covered most of the mountain, their leaves blanketing it in a cool shade. The year was unusually warm so far and the rains came regularly enough for the valley to be in full bloom. Lady Ai and their son, Sesshoumaru, frequently went to the valley to collect herbs and flowers that his wife used in medicines. But only during the warm months. Inu-Taisho strictly forbade them to leave the castle during the winter. He was very protective of them both, probably to the point of being over protective. But he felt that his son, being only four, was still very susceptible to the illnesses that came with being drenched in the cold snows that came in the winter.   
Suddenly the path opened up into the large valley below his home. The flat earth was covered in a blanket of grasses, herbs and flowers. The scent of jasmine and honeysuckle hung lightly in the air. Through the center of the valley ran a fairly large creek; the water was swift and cold from the melting snows on the taller, surrounding mountains. Near the creek was where Lord Inu-Taisho found his wife and son. Lady Ai was sitting on a blanket near the creek, a basket of herbs and flowers next to her. Her kimono was a white silk material with purple chrysanthemums on it, accenting her lilac eyes. Her unbound hair was, if possible, whiter than the silk of her kimono; it fell in soft waves down her back to puddle on the blanket. He knew she knew he was there, yet she said nothing, nor looked at him. Her eyes were on their son, who was at the moment, looking at some herbs, trying to decide which one was which. He stood out like a sore thumb because of the black kimono and pants he was wearing. The Demon Lord of the Western Lands knew exactly why his wife did not acknowledge him. They had started to do that recently, not announcing each other's presences, to test their young son's ability to do so.   
Inu-Taisho watched his son get agitated with the plants. The boy was so much like his mother. He had her soft white hair and the crescent moon of her family's line. He also possessed her family's smaller build. Sesshoumaru would be tall, since it ran on both sides and he already came close to his mother's waist and she was by no means short. Yet he wouldn't be very stocky or muscular, like his father had been; he'd be more wiry and fast. From his father Sesshoumaru had gotten his golden eyes, the red stripes on both cheeks, and the poison that excreted from beneath the claws of his right hand. But one thing he had gotten, the one thing that couldn't be pinned on either side's list of attributes was his tail.   
Inu-Taisho's eyes traveled down his son's back, past his waist length hair to the white thing that stood in sharp contrast to his darker clothing. The Demon Lord couldn't help but smile as he looked at the thing that caused his son so much grief. Having a tail in his human form wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but Sesshoumaru's tail was at least two times as long as he was tall. He would probably grow into it, and until he did he would learn to be able to control it better than he could now. Actually, Sesshoumaru had about zero control over the long thing of white fluff.  
Sesshoumaru was about to lean down, supposedly to pick a plant when a gentle wind blew and he suddenly stood strait up. It was then that Inu-Taisho realized that he was upwind. The young boy spun around quickly, adoration and love shining in his eyes and a smile on this face.   
"PAPA!!!!" He cried in delight as he ran toward his father. That's when Lord Inu-Taisho saw IT. Again....  
"Sesshoumaru! Wait! Your tai..." Before he could fully get the sentence out, Sesshoumaru's tail, with a mind of its own, swung around and SMACKED its owner across the face.  
And Sesshoumaru was down.  
The boy plopped down on the ground and blinked a couple times from shock as a red welt formed across his small nose.   
Inu-Taisho was about to ask him if he was all right when Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed dangerously. And he knew what was about to happen next and smacked himself on the forehead and groaned. Lady Ai tried to hide her smile behind her hand and to stifle her giggles. If there was one thing they knew about their son, it was that if he was crossed, he went out for blood. And it hadn't occurred to him that this would be his own blood.  
The boy lunged sideways, trying to catch the tip, but missed as it twitched to the left, as if it were deliberately dodging. Sesshoumaru pounced again, and again, trying in vain to extract revenge. Finally, after giving up on getting the jump on it, he resorted to chasing it in circles. Ai had given up on trying to hide it and was laughing out loud with tears sliding down her face. Inu-Taisho was having trouble controlling his own laughter as he walked swiftly over to his son and his dilemma, hoping to prevent any bloodshed. His son was still running in circles when he reached him, and, relying on his demon speed to keep him from getting bit, he reached down into the blur of white and quickly grabbed the boy by the tail, lifting him up into the air. His small chest was huffing, trying to catch his breath; his eyes were bleary as the world stopped spinning. His amber eyes slowly focused on his father and he smiled brilliantly. But he suddenly grew serious.  
"Papa?" He asked quietly as his father started to carry him towards his mother.  
"Yes, Sesshoumaru?" Inu-Taisho responded calmly, not expecting the oncoming question as he started to set down next to his wife.   
"Can you cut it off?"  
Inu-Taisho almost face-faulted.  
"W-why would you ask something like that?" Ai asked worriedly.  
"Because it's too long and it keeps smacking me. And..." he added quietly, "It's embarrassing." He looked up shyly, almost blushing, to see his parents smiling at each other.  
"But you don't want to cut it off, my young prince." Interrupted a soft voice.   
Everyone's head swerved to the side to see the approaching demons, a man, a woman and a small child. The man was a Japanese demon with long black hair that he kept in a braid down his back and the traditional yellow demon eyes. He wore a short, red kimono trimmed with gold on the hem and sleeves with pants to match. The woman was a European demon with long orange/red curly hair and green, human looking eyes. Her kimono was the same style as Lady Ai's but her's was a pale green to accent her eyes. Now the child she carried seemed an almost combination of them both. The girl had dark wavy hair that came down to the middle of her back. One would think her hair was black except for where the sunlight hit it and you could see it's true color, a very deep purple. Her eyes were that of a demon, with the long, slitted pupil, but instead of being yellow, the irises were green. She wore a cute pink kimono and matching pants. Even though girls technically weren't supposed to where pants, she was a small child and there was no way she could move around and explore without showing some stuff in a regular kimono. Lord Inu-Taisho stood up, smiling, and walked over to greet his childhood friend.  
Sesshoumaru watched dumbly as his father walked over to the strange man and they hugged each other laughing. He was trying to figure out who they were but his mother's voice startled him out of his thoughts.  
"Megan!" She called out sweetly, waving to the younger woman. "Come sit here and talk with me."  
"Okay." The other woman called back walking toward them slowly.   
When she arrived she promptly sat down on the blanket next to Lady Ai. Okay, the woman Sesshoumaru understood. His mother was all the time having friends over and his father was always talking to his friends. But... Sesshoumaru wanted to know about the little thing that was clinging to Lady "Megan's" kimono. The thing with big green eyes and that was insistently sucking on its thumb. And before Sesshoumaru could get a word in, his mother asked for him.  
"And who is this?" She asked, ducking her head to get a better look.   
"This," Megan began, prying her daughter's hand off her kimono to sit her so she was looking at Ai. "This is Ikari."   
"Ikari, huh. I think it fits." Ai said through her laughter as she tickled the young girl who laughed sweetly.   
"How old is she now?" Ai asked, this time tickling her feet through her socks.   
"She'll be one in May."  
"Really? Then she's four years younger that Sesshoumaru. He'll be five...in ....April." Ai's eyes got huge suddenly. She'd forgotten about him. She turned about quickly, her hair swinging wildly with the sudden movement. To her relief he was still sitting where his father had left him, looking at her. She smiled sweetly and said,  
"Come sit over here, Sesshoumaru."  
He didn't respond but moved to where she bid him to and started suddenly when he heard Megan's sharp intake of breath.  
"Oh, my God, Ai!" She started, staring wide-eyed at his mother, and then she turned her gaze to him.  
"You've grown so much since I last saw you."  
Sesshoumaru just smiled, grown-ups, especially the women, said that a lot to him. The conversion between his mother and Megan began again and Sesshoumaru felt eyes on him. He shifted his gaze to little girl in Megan's lap to see her staring at him. Well, not him, per say, but his tail, which was swishing back and forth mockingly at the moment. And that reminded him of what Megan had said when she first arrived.   
"Um, Lady Meg-Han" he started shyly, his tongue tripping over the strange name. But she only giggled.  
"Yes?"  
"Was it you that said I shouldn't cut off my tail?"  
Megan blinked a moment then smiled.  
"Yes, that was me. I'd forgotten."  
"Why shouldn't I?" He asked curiously.  
"Well..." she started, unsure of how exactly she should say it.  
"When you're older, girls will think it's cute." She said smiling down at him.  
"But..." Now he was confused. "Why would I want girls to think I'm cute? Whenever girls say something is cute they tackle it and drag it everywhere with them." He had seen the daughters of vassals and servants of his father's and they all did that. Well, now he was certain, he did not want to be cute.  
Lady Megan and Lady Ai couldn't help but laugh at his choice of using the word tackle. Both thinking that he had nooo idea.   
By this time Lord Inu-Taisho and his friend, Lord Anitsu had come up to join them.  
"Megan, Anitsu tells me that you three are going to Europe next month."  
"Yes," Megan said quietly, adverting her eyes.  
"But Ikari's so young!" Ai protested, aghast.  
"I know, but I can't do anything about it. My parents never approved of our marriage in the first place." She said sadly, looking at her husband. "But we did anyway and now they want to see Ikari. I can't blame them or deny them, because they are her grandparents after all. But, I wish that they would come to see us instead of the other way around. I don't fell comfortable traveling so far with her."  
Throughout her monologue, Megan had taken Ikari from her lap and set her on the blanket, dangerously near Sesshoumaru's tail, which was still swishing. Sesshoumaru himself was currently listening to the adults, wondering where and what Europe was. He didn't really notice that his tail suddenly stopped moving, nor did he feel the little hands that tightly gripped it. And Ikari, despite not even being a year old, was demon, and all demon children have at least the two top fangs, for self-defense. And if you hadn't guessed what was coming, she bit his tail.  
Sesshoumaru's loud yelp of pain startled all the adults and they shifted they gazes to Sesshoumaru who was clutching his tail tightly to his chest with wide eyes.   
"Sesshoumaru, what happened?" Inu-Taisho asked, his voice laced with worry.  
"I-it....sh-she....tthat thing bit my TAIL!!!!" He half yelled, pointing a shaky finger at the small child.   
Inu-Taisho was about to reprimand him for lying when Megan said,  
"Oh my...."  
"What?" All of them, including Sesshoumaru asked worriedly.  
Megan promptly leaned over and pulled some loose strands of short, white hair away from Ikari's mouth and held them up for everyone's inspection.  
None of the adults could hold in the laughter.  
  
And the scene faded back into the green mist. But the mist didn't fade, it was still there, only it was swirling and churning about again.  
  
InuYasha, in his mind, was lying on his side, his white head propped up on one elbow. A confused look across his face.  
"He hates humans because some demon girl bit his tail?" He mused to himself.  
"I don't think it's done yet." Shippo chimed in happily. InuYasha fell on his face.  
Jumping up, he turned around to find the others behind him in either sitting or lounging positions.  
"W-why are you here?!" He demanded angrily.  
They all looked around, noticing each other for the first time.  
"I guess this way the orbs didn't have to transmit to each of us individually." Myouga quipped from InuYasha's shoulder.   
"So it's like going to a movie!" Kagome said happily.  
"Movie?" They all asked dimly.  
"You know, when you go to the movie theater and, .... Oh, I forgot, you guys wouldn't know would you?"  
Everyone shook their head. Kagome sighed heavily.  
"Look. It's starting again." Sango called from the back, pointing at the mist.   
  
  
  
  
Yay!!!!!!!!!  
I finally finished it!! It took longer that I planned but I got it done. I don't know when the next chapter will be but more reviews = faster chapters.  
And we do love his tail don't we girls???  
PLEASE R & R!!!!!!!!! 


	3. The Plans

Disclaimer: I don't own or claim to own aarrgghh! You get the drift.  
  
'Tis revised. Now it should correspond with my other story.  
  
Dark Memories: Chapter 3  
  
  
A resounding metallic clash echoed throughout the training yard of the castle. It was followed by the quiet but reverberating sound of metal grating against metal (you know, the kind that makes your teeth hurt). Two combatants stood in the center of the grounds, straining against one another, their feet digging grooves into the packed earth. Almost twin sets of amber eyes watched each other, a young set of pure, unblemished gold and a set of older and wiser eyes with flecks of a darker gold strewn about haphazardly, both trying to guess the others next move as their swords ground against each other. The younger one's looks obviously belittled his strength as one of his build would have undeniably been unable to hold his own against his more muscular elder. His thick, knee length white hair was tied loosely at the base of his neck, exposing the gently pointed ears that marked him as a demon. The alabaster skin of his cheeks were marred by two red stripes on either side and a mauve crescent moon adorned his forehead. The elder figure bared a striking resemblance to the younger, confirming a relation between the two. His own white hair was tied back is a high ponytail, the ends would barely brush against his squared shoulders if let down, he had cut it not long after his wife's death. He bore a single scarlet stripe on each cheek on either side of his face. Suddenly the elder of the two smiled.  
  
"Oh come now Sesshoumaru. You know this will end like it always does." He growled out, his voice thick with strain.  
"You're ever persistent jabbering is only second to your overconfidence." Sesshoumaru eyed his opponent warily, but with a voice just as labored. "I could beat you with only one arm, Father."  
"Is that so?" Inu-Taisho grinned at his son. Using the force that Sesshoumaru was exerting against him, Inu-Taisho used it to push off of and flipped back several feet from his son.  
As he landed InuTaisho watched his son closely. He had no delusions about the extent of Sesshoumaru's powers. Even as a boy, Sesshoumaru had always been surprising everyone with his quick ability to learn both in the training yard and in the study. Even at a young age, Sesshoumaru had pushed him self to become stronger, faster and better than anyone else. Had InuTaisho known better, he would have sworn that his son was attempting to become a taiyoukai, even as a boy. A small, barely perceptible smirk crossed Sesshoumaru's lips as his father's feet hit the earth with a muffled thud and his knees bent to lesson the impact.  
  
'Now.'  
  
Sesshoumaru dashed forward with the blurring speed he was known for and made to kick the legs out from under his father. But, despite his surprise, InuTaisho dodged the leg that slung toward his own. 'Perfect.' The prince smiled. As the Demon Lord attempted to back away he felt as vise-like grip encircle his legs, throwing off his balance. InuTaisho fell to the ground with a curse and the white fluff ensnared his wrist and hand that held his katana, immobilizing it. He looked up to see his son smiling down at him. InuTaisho couldn't help but smile back at him. The few times Sesshoumaru actually smiled they were very infectious, just as his mother's had been.   
"Well, I suppose it is easy to beat me one handed when you have a prehensile tail."  
"You're the one that told me to use everything to my advantage." He chuckled as he unwound his tail and offered his father a hand.  
"I didn't mean against me." He threw back as he grasped his son's wrist.  
"You'd best watch your back Milord!" came a call from a doorway to their side as InuTaisho climbed to his feet.  
Father and son watched as their mutual friend and teacher approached the center of the field where they stood. His long hair fell heavily against his back in a thick, ebony braid. His silver eyes were a light with amusement as he had watched the whole confrontation between father and son. Both of them had a stubborn streak a mile wide.  
"If you don't keep an eye on him," he continued, winking at Sesshoumaru as he reached them with a broad smile, "you may find his sword at your throat before you can blink."  
"Great, thanks a lot Chinchaku." Sesshoumaru said in a disappointed huff as he sheathed his katana and turned his back on them. "Just give away all my plans"  
"But of course!" Chinchaku replied with a mock bow. InuTaisho chuckled and Sesshoumaru simply shock his head and began to walk away. InuTaisho winked at his friend behind his son's back.  
"You need to get some sleep tonight, Sesshoumaru." He called after his son's retreating form. Sesshoumaru stopped in his tracks and looked back over his shoulder at his father.  
"Any particular reason?" he asked skeptically. His father generally didn't care wither or not Sesshoumaru slept at all as long at it didn't affect his abilities.   
"You're hosting a vaschela tomorrow"   
"What did you say?!?!?!" Sesshoumaru shouted as he spun to face his father angrily. His golden eyes narrowed dangerously.  
"Calm down." InuTaisho waved a hand at his son, dismissing his anger. "Its only a façade to make it seem as if you're interested."  
"Pardon me but," Chinchaku interrupted. "What is a vaschela?" Sesshoumaru answered him.  
"It's a term in the ancient tongue that refers to a very elaborate ceremony that is hosted by a single male who invites all the women in the area that are of marriageable age and looks at the prospects." Sesshoumaru grimaced. "It's like a horse auction."  
"What a horrid way to put it." InuTaisho growled.  
"That's all it is."  
"Everyone is entitled to there own opinion."  
Sesshoumaru just shrugged and continued into the castle. He was outwardly calm but inside he was ragging. 'How dare he!! Planning that without even consulting me!' Sesshoumaru growled unwittingly as he rounded a corner in the hall. Kami that man made his blood boil. 'If I didn't know better, I'd swear that he was trying to distract me from something.' He shuddered involuntarily. 'If it's something that needs me to be distracted the entire day, I don't think I want to know.' His father could mean well, but sometimes he just tried too hard. He stopped briefly in his chambers to pick up a thick robe and a brush on his way to the bathhouse.   
The steamy moisture of the enclosed hot spring was almost unbearable when he first entered, but dismissing the momentary discomfort, Sesshoumaru pealed off his dirty yukata and haori and discarded them haphazardly on the damp floor. Pulling the tie that had previously held his hair back, Sesshoumaru ran the brush through quickly, just enough to get the tangles out. Throwing the brush onto his clean robe, Sesshoumaru walked to the edge of the pool. The pool itself was approximately ten feet long and was a large oval in shape. Large smooth stones had been placed strategically in the spring to provide a place to sit and still be partially submerged. Majority of the pool only came up to Sesshoumaru's waist, but toward the far end the floor dips suddenly dropping to where even his father couldn't stay flat-footed and keep his head above water.   
Sesshoumaru eased himself into the steaming waters; a sigh of relief escaped his lips as his tired muscles relaxed in the heat. Sinking into its depths, Sesshoumaru stopped when the water lapped against his collarbone, swirling his hair about him. Taking a breath, he plunged under the water and scrubbed his scalp and hair with a soap he had had imported to him from India, working out the stubborn dirt that clung there. His tail was surprisingly clean but he still scrubbed it over thoroughly. He rose from the waters suddenly, throwing his hair over his shoulder. 'Someone's here.' His eyes scanned the perimeter of the bathhouse but saw nothing. Despite the lack of anything visible, Sesshoumaru's senses were still screaming at him. The hair on the back of his neck was standing on end, he could almost sense a power but it was as if something was standing in front of it. A twinge of the power felt eerily familiar to him. Suddenly it dawned on him.  
"Atomu! Come out of where ever you're hiding." He called out, his voice dripping with irritation.   
"Spoiled sport." A man murmured as he stepped out of the shadows, swishing a cloak that had previously been draped completely around his frame behind his shoulders. His clothes were of a rich silk, similar to Sesshoumaru's, but a deep red hue. His waist length hair hung freely down his back. The dark blue wavy locks were frazzled and limp from his trip to the castle from his father's estates along InuTaisho's eastern borders. Atomu and Sesshoumaru had grown up together as children and became friends in what free time they had had as heirs.   
"Steal your father's cloak of invisibility?"  
"No. I just borrowed it, thank you very much."  
"Oh, paid a visit to Jigen have you?" Sesshoumaru asked non-shalantly as he moved to the deep end of the spring. He turned around to see his friend blushing heavily and removing his cloak entirely. Over the years Atomu had developed a distinct taste for other men instead of women, causing Sesshoumaru to watch him out of the corner of his eyes warily. Then there was Atomu's uncanny knack for showing up when he was in the bath, which didn't help Sesshoumaru's unease. Jigen was Atomu's new lover and it was a secret from both their families, hence the use of the invisibility cloak. It would break Atomu's father's heart if he were to find out that his son and heir was gay.   
"Mind if I join you?" he asked, ignoring the earlier question. Sesshoumaru didn't need him to respond to know the answer.   
"Be my guest." He replied easily, unconsciously wrapping his tail around his waist and lower areas.  
"What's this I hear from your father about a vaschela?" he inquired as he undressed.  
Sesshoumaru snorted.  
"That excited are you?" He asked as he sank into the water. "Oh, this feels good."  
"Yes I imagine you're quite sore." Sesshoumaru sneered at him. Atomu stuck his tongue out at him.  
"But anyway," he continued, "Father has decided that I need to 'look' as if I'm interested in taking a mate."  
"Are you?"  
"Not really. I'm in no rush to have an heir."  
"I couldn't agree with you more." Atomu said vehemently as he swam out to the deeper end with toward Sesshoumaru. He just rolled his eyes.  
"IF men could become with child, you would have at least twenty bastards the way you sleep around."  
"Nehehehehe." Atomu chuckled evilly. He gradually clamed down enough to look serious again. "But you hate social occasions anyway."  
"They're completely boring. Unless you're looking for someone the sleep with for the night or to drink so much sake you pass out, or both, there is nothing to do." Atomu nodded his head sagely, as if Sesshoumaru had come to him like some wandering monk seeking enlightenment and Atomu was the only one he could get it from.  
"But this time you are hosting it and get to look at women all day long, and mingle and all that other fun stuff."  
"Oh what fun." Sesshoumaru sighed.  
A heavy silence fell over them as each contemplated what the other had said. Atomu glanced at his childhood friend out of the corner of his eye. Sesshoumaru defiantly wasn't acting like his normal self. 'He looks like something is bothering him.' A small window in the rear of the room reveled that the sun had long ago set, and night had enveloped the western lands. Sesshoumaru sighed heavily as he looked at his hands. 'Tomorrow is coming too quickly.' Sesshoumaru felt exhaustion flood his senses abruptly. He paddled at little ways until he could place his feet firmly on the floor. Feeling eyes on him, Sesshoumaru turned to his friend.  
"I'm getting out and then going to bed."   
"Really?"  
"Yeah, by myself." He said stepping out of the spring. He stepped out of the spring, his tail and hair dripping with the warm water, and immediately headed for the pile of towels near the entrance. Sesshoumaru deftly wrapped the uppermost portion of a towel about his waist and then unwound is tail. Hearing the movement of water and his friend's snort, Sesshoumaru turned to face him.   
"What's wrong?" he asked, genuinely curious. Atomu simply looked at his coldly.  
"One day, when you're asleep, I'm going to cut off your tail." Sesshoumaru cocked an eyebrow at him.  
"I don't want to know why do I?"  
"Probably not." Atomu smiled at him, his pale vermilion eyes flashing with amusement. "By the way, what am I going to wear out of here?" Seeshoumaru thought for a moment.  
"There should be an extra robe somewhere."  
After several minutes of toweling and searching for Atomu a robe, which was found tucked away in a cupboard in the corner of the room along with some extra towels, Sesshoumaru and Atomu went their separate ways in the halls, Sesshoumaru going to his chambers and Atomu going to see if he could sneak some food from the kitchens. Sesshoumaru's trip back to his rooms was quiet and uneventful, most of the servants having already retired for the evening save the few on night shift. A fire that had been built a few hours ago had burnt low in the hearth, casting a hazy glow about his main chamber. Kneeling down, Sesshoumaru threw some of the extra logs onto the smoldering embers to get it started again. As the fire snapped and popped back to roaring life, he flopped unceremoniously upon a fur that was spread on the floor. Sesshoumaru stared into the flames as his hair dried, lost in his thoughts. On the cool spring nights his thoughts often drifted to his mother. She had died days before his fifth birthday. Sesshoumaru had left her momentarily in her garden and come back to find her lying in a pool of her own blood, among other things, and had watched her die as he screamed her name. His screaming had gotten the attention of the whole household, bringing them to the garden to find him clutching her lifeless form. The several of the servants tired to move him away from her body but he would let her go. When his father arrived he had promptly knocked Sesshoumaru out and handed him over to one of the servants, who quickly carried him to his rooms. Sesshoumaru sighed and brought his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and rested his chin on his knees. He clearly remembered being sealed in his room for days; a servant would come every so often to bring trays of food that would remain untouched until the next tray was brought in. During those days, Sesshoumaru remembered staying curled up in a corner of his room, feeling nothing but the raw pain in his chest. It felt like a serrated blade had been plunged deep into his heart and was being turned with quick jerks each time he thought about his mother. The pain it caused had been all encompassing, he hadn't felt hunger or thirst the entire time, they seemed insignificant. After about a week of his isolation, InuTaisho came to see him and found him in a corner, in every much the same position he was in now. InuTaisho told his young son that his mother was dead and that the funeral was that night and he was expected to be there. Without a word Sesshoumaru left the room, bathed and dressed in for the evening.   
A loud crack broke into his reverie as an ember from the fire rolled onto the floor in front of him. With a startled yelp and several frantic movements, the ember was back in its proper place and Sesshoumaru was standing before the fire. After briefly worrying about the possibility of another ember falling out, Sesshoumaru dismissed it with a tired wave of his hand and picked up his brush again, and ran it through his now dry hair and tail. Once tangle free, he blew out the few candles that lit the room and collapsed upon the soft futon that had been theretofore calling his name, and snuggled in the blankets. For some reason he was so tired...   
"Oh, well," he murmured to himself aloud. "I need some rest anyway..."  
******************** "Arigato Atomu!" InuTaisho thundered as he clapped the younger man on the back, causing him to fall forward slightly.   
"Eh, yes, any time, My Lord." Atomu laughed nervously. "But if he ever finds out I cast a sleeping spell on him, he'll..."  
"He won't find out." The demon lord replied smugly. "Believe me, were doing him a favor."  
  
AN: Mou, I'm finally done. I've been working on this one chapter for at least a month. I didn't like the other chapter three, Sesshoumaru seemed way to whiney and I didn't like the whole parent situation thing. If you read the other ch. 3 you know what I mean. But see, I am working on my stories, it just takes forever!  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	4. Meeting Again

Do I even have to write a disclaimer any more?  
  
AN: Finally, continuation! It's only taken me since January to write another chapter. For those interested, Mysteries Within the Shadows is on indefinite hold. It needs some major makeovers. If this is your first time reading my stuff, PLEASE don't read MWTS. It's very bad... Anyway, onto the story!  
  
"Talking"  
'Thinking'  
  
Chapter 4 - Meeting Again  
  
Sesshoumaru stomped from the baths again to his room the next morning, grumbling about conniving fathers and traitorous friends. 'Damn them...' he seethed inwardly. 'How dare that no good Atomu cast a sleeping spell on me! I don't care what father says! I know it was him... And father had something to do with it.' He slammed the shoji screen shut behind him and trudged to the trunk that held his clothing. To his surprise, the outfit he was supposed to wear that day was lying across it; Sesshoumaru couldn't believe his eyes. The cloth was a foreign one to him; it felt like silk but seemed much more durable. It was also black. He had never worn black in his entire life, well, at least as long as he could remember... But it wasn't plain black, the hems of the collar and sleeves were trimmed in gold, and intricate designs very carefully embroidered on the collar and chest in mauve and crimson threads. 'He had to have had this specially made for me...' he mused as he fingered the cloth.   
  
Sesshoumaru's felt a slight tingling creep up his spine as his senses picked up approaching youki. "Damn it all..." he muttered, "what does he want?"  
  
He grabbed the towel that he had brought with him and gracefully flipped his long, mostly dry hair over his head as he bent over, started to rub it vigorously with the towel. (AN: I originally wrote about him grabbing the towel and started 'rubbing his head vigorously' but that sounds sooo wrong! *blushes*) The presence reached the door as Sesshoumaru flipped his hair back over.   
  
"Don't bother knocking." He called out as he roughly snatched up the brush from where he had left it the previous night   
  
InuTaisho slide open the door to his son's chambers to find him sitting on a short stool and brushing his snow-white hair. He stopped for a moment, watching him. 'Every time I look at him, I see his mother.' He thought to himself. Sesshoumaru continued to ignore him as he shut the door and walked up behind him. InuTaisho deftly took the brush from his son's hand and started to brush it himself despite his son's snort and slight protest. He pulled the brush gently trough the silky locks that puddled on his son's stiff shoulders and cascaded down his back.   
  
"You know, " he began conversationally, "I was never really looking forward to this day."  
  
"Then why are you putting me through it?" Sesshoumaru snarled at him. InuTaisho sighed, 'He's still mad at me.'  
  
"I always dreaded the other lords bringing their daughters, wanting to betroth them to you. And I did have several come while you were still young, by the way." Sesshoumaru head jerked toward him and InuTaisho calmly turned it back around with his hands.  
  
"But I said no." he continued before Sesshoumaru could interrupt with questions. "I wanted you to chose your mate, just like I had been allowed to."  
  
"'Chose my mate?'" Sesshoumaru asked, incredulous. "More like pick my poison."  
  
"You don't have to chose today." His father reminded him as he pulled the brush through his hair one last time.  
  
"But in any case, your prospective brides should start showing up in half an hour, you'd best finish getting ready." And, with that final and happy note, InuTaisho left the room.  
Sesshoumaru looked after him for several minutes before hanging his head low.  
  
"This sucks..."  
  
************ *  
  
His father had been fairly accurate with the timing and Sesshoumaru was dressed and ready, waiting to greet their guests. His father stood nearby, and Atomu was off in a corner, smirking at his predicament. Sesshoumaru smiled politely and answered question quietly as the guests arrived in small groups. All the young women (the prospects) had been sure to put on as much makeup as possible and to wear the most outlandish outfit possible, trying to out do one another and vie for his attention. Sesshoumaru leaned against a wall in between greetings and Atomu brought him and cup of sake. He accepted it readily and downed it in one gulp.   
  
"Having that much fun are you?" He asked as he refilled the cup.  
  
"Oh loads..." Sesshoumaru murmured back as something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. A large group of women/girls had gathered not fifty feet from Atomu and himself.   
  
They were all whispering and looking his way and giggling, until they noticed he was looking at them and almost everyone blushed and giggled louder. Atomu had turned to see what had taught his friend's attention and turned about quickly upon seeing their reaction to Sesshoumaru.  
  
"I think I'm going to be sick." He whispered roughly.  
  
"You're not the only one..."  
  
"Hey, wasn't that Lina in the center of them?"  
  
"Unfortunately. She seems to be the leader of the group." Sesshoumaru sighed and quickly greeted some new arrivals. Lina was the niece of the Demon Lord of the Northern Lands.   
  
She was very spoiled and used to getting everything her way. She was pretty, he supposed, but she had that long, obstinate hair that almost every girl did and enough makeup on t prove that her skin was anything up flawless. He cast a glance toward the group again to see her staring at him and fanning herself. He felt his stomach roll.  
  
"I need more sake." He announced suddenly.  
  
"Me too," Atomu agreed and filled both their cup until they were brimming.  
  
************ *  
  
"I don't want to do this." She said suddenly, turning to face her father. Her father shook his head, which sent his long black, braided hair swinging, and sighed in exasperation.   
  
"Why are you being so shy?" His voice reverberated in the confines of the European style carriage they rode in. The girl blushed.  
  
"I'm not being 'shy', it's just that I don't want to go. They're having that vaschela thing today aren't they? I don't want to be rude and interrupt it."  
  
"And why can't you participate in the vaschela? You're of marriageable age." The girl's blush deepened.  
  
"Father! I don't even know him..."  
  
"You've meet Sesshoumaru before."  
  
"Oh that doesn't count, I wasn't even one."  
  
"People both here and in Europe have been married and never met before the wedding day." He shot back, causing his daughter to sigh.  
  
"But that's not the point here. The point is that I don't want to go at all."  
  
"Well we are going. I want to visit InuTaisho, I haven't seen him in years." Anitsu looked over at his daughter to see her staring out the window of the carriage and smiled.  
  
"Stop worrying about the whole tail incident, I doubt he remembers, Ikari."  
  
*********************  
By early afternoon, Sesshoumaru was exhausted and irritable. He had to spend time with woman after woman, pretending that he was trying to decide whom he wanted to marry, when in reality, he didn't care and each new woman was more annoying than the last. He had spent the entire day avoiding Lina like a plague and had been rewarded with getting intercepted by every other female in the room. 'Well,' he mused inwardly, 'as long as I'm with someone else, she won't bother me.' He was presently standing off to one side of the packed main hall and watched everyone chatting and whispering about who-knows what. Sesshoumaru reached up unconsciously and rubbed a side of his jaw, 'Mou, even my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.'   
  
"If you keep disappearing everyone is going to think you're antisocial." Atomu said smiling as he came up to him with a glass in his hand.  
  
"Water?" Sesshoumaru asked, eyeing his friend.  
  
"I figured if I kept bringing you sake, by the end of the day you'd be so drunk you might actually decide to marry one of them." Sesshoumaru smiled at his friend and put a hand on his   
shoulder.   
  
"Thank you for being so considerate of my well being." He said sarcastically.  
  
"Anytime." Atomu smiled back.  
  
Sesshoumaru drank the water quickly handed back the glass saying,  
  
"I'd better get back out there and mingle with the last of them so I don't offend anybody."  
  
"Have fun." His friend waved and walked away. Sesshoumaru turned to walk forward but suddenly found a small body with large pink eyes staring at him. Sesshoumaru forced a smile onto his face.  
  
"Hello Lina." He said mildly.  
  
"You've yet to come talk with me and my family milord." She said boldly with a small pout on her lips. Sesshoumaru made an effort not to wince. 'Does she think that's attractive?'  
  
"I was just on my way to do just that." He commented quietly. A large smile spread across her small face.  
  
"I thought so! You were just going by that saying: 'Save the best for last.' Weren't you milord?"  
  
Sesshoumaru just smiled at her, causing her to giggle and she started to weave her way to where her family sat, with him following some feet behind her.   
  
*********************  
  
Anitsu had to practically drag his reluctant daughter toward the demon lord's castle after passing the guards. He really didn't understand what her problem was today; she had never acted this shy before.  
  
"I already told you not to worry about the tail thing Ikari."  
  
"That's easy for you to say." She snarled back.  
  
"He probably doesn't remember."  
  
"Unless he's been reminded about it his entire life like I have." She glared at him.  
  
"I doubt he has. His mother died not long after that so I imagine everyone avoided mentioning that general time entirely." He said seriously. Ikari didn't respond.  
  
Anitsu sighed and grabbed her hand, leading her into the castle. A servant met them as they made their way to the main hall.  
  
"Who may I tell Lord InuTaisho is calling?" he asked humbly.   
  
"Tell him Lord Anitsu and Lady Ikari have come to see him." He replied haughtily, sounding every bit the lord that he was. The servant bowed low and went to the hall while they waited. Ikari took the time to take in her surrounds and was taken aback by the rich coloring of the décor. Almost every other castle she had ever been in had been ever drafty and the most decoration had been a few tapestries and paintings. Here, the entire walls seemed to be covered in cloths of every possible print and color. It gave the place a very welcoming feeling. The return of the servant interrupted any further observation.   
  
"Lord InuTaisho will see you in the great hall." He said bowing lowly.  
  
"Lead on." Anitsu said briefly accompanied with a gesture of his hand.  
  
Ikari couldn't stifle her gasp when she entered the huge hall and found it almost totally full of yokai of every shape and size possible. 'I wonder what Sesshoumaru looks like?' she wondered as her eyes swept across the room. Her view was obstructed however when a large man came up and hugged her father. He was a couple of inches taller than her father with shoulder length white hair and warm, dark gold eyes.   
  
"Gods Anitsu, it's been forever since I last saw you!" The demon lord exclaimed as he held his friend at a distance.  
  
"When ever I was in Japan I never got a chance to come see you. So this time I came here first." He said smiling at his long-time friend, it was then he remembered his daughter.  
  
"InuTaisho, you remember Ikari don't you?" He said as he put his arm around her slim waist and pulled her forward.   
  
InuTaisho's face lit up with surprise at seeing the tall, young woman bow at the waist before him. She had been a baby when he had last seen her but she had definitely grown up. Her hair had lightened to a dark purple instead of almost black, and it cascaded down her back to her waist in soft waves. While her hair had changed her eyes had stayed the striking green they had been as a babe, the same as her mother's.   
  
"Of course I do!" He announced proudly as he placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face to look at him. "And you've grown up beautifully, Ikari." She blushed slightly at his comment.  
  
"Thank you milord." She murmured quietly. He smiled in response before something behind her caught his attention.  
  
"Atomu! Where's Sesshoumaru?" he asked the young man as Ikari turned to look at him.   
  
"I believe he is still out mingling, milord." He answered with a shallow bow.   
  
"Well go get him, and tell him there is someone here he should meet." InuTaisho commanded him, and with another shallow bow, the young man, Atomu, was gone.  
  
Atomu walked away briskly as he cast one last glance at the girl near his lord. InuTaisho apparently knew her, but he did not. And, despite his lack of interest in the opposite sex, Atomu had to admit that she was very pretty. He smirked to himself as he saw Sesshoumaru walking to the refreshments that had been set up on one side of the hall and jogged quickly over to him. When he reached him, Sesshoumaru had downed another cup sake and had started to fill another when Atomu took the bottle away from him.  
  
"You can't get took drunk, your father wants you."  
  
"What for now? I just spent and hour and a half with Lina and her family." The demon prince snarled.  
  
"He says there is someone he wants you to meet." His friend said mildly.  
  
With his comment, Sesshoumaru looked up to the raised dais that his father was currently standing on near his and Sesshoumaru's thrones sat. He could see a man talking with his father, and judging by the look on his father's face, he was obviously a friend of his. The man's hair was kept back in a long, thick black braid with a few wisps that had fallen out framing his face and yellow eyes. Sesshoumaru squinted a little bit. His father's body was blocking someone's body from his view; all he could see occasionally was a quick glimpse of purple. Under normal circumstances, Sesshoumaru would have been able to smell the person, and thereby learn much about them, but the hall was so filled with the smells of some many demons that picking out one was impossible. With a wary shrug of his slim shoulders, Sesshoumaru weaved his way through the crowd toward the dais with Atomu close behind.  
  
InuTaisho saw his son's approach first and called out to him, drawing Anitsu's and Ikari's attention to him. Anitsu couldn't believe how much Sesshoumaru had grown to look like his mother and Ikari couldn't believe that this was a real person. His skin was a flawless ivory, interrupted only by two crimson stripes on each cheek and a mauve crescent moon on his forehead where his bangs parted. His hair spilled down from the top of his head onto his shoulders and down his back like a moon-kissed waterfall to brush the backs of his knees. And set in his porcelain face were two, pure gold eyes, which at the moment were displaying slight agitation. Who ever had chosen his clothing had impeccable tastes; the black set off his pale skin perfectly, the gold trim matched his eyes, and the red and purple embroidery set off his markings. It was then Ikari noticed a large amount of fluff wrapped around his right shoulder. Ikari's eyes widened noticeably as a vibrant blush color her face and neck as she looked away, praying that he didn't remember, especially now that she had seen him.  
  
"Sesshoumaru, this an old friend of mine, Lord Anitsu." InuTaisho introduce his friend with a slight flare of his hand. Sesshoumaru said nothing but bowed low to him. Anitsu smiled at him and pulled his ever-hiding daughter out from behind his friend. He couldn't help but notice the blush that was raging across her face and grinned at her mortified look.  
  
"And this," he started, "is my daughter, Ikari."  
  
Sesshoumaru straightened to look at the girl when his breath suddenly hitched in his throat. She was tall, maybe four inches shorter than himself; she had slightly golden skin without a drop of makeup to ruin her complexion. 'Golden skin? From being outdoors?' he mused as he gazed at her. Shockingly green eyes were set in an oval face surrounded by plum colored hair that tumbled down to her waist in waves. Her kimono was a soft lilac color with a darker tiger lily pattern on the sleeves and bottom hem. Sesshoumaru quirked an eyebrow at her; she was giving off a strange scent of trepidation; she seemed very worried over something that involved him. 'Her father does look slightly familiar, but I don't remember her.' He glanced over at her father, trying to place him, and then it hit him. 'He's the guy that was I meet shortly before mother died. It was him, his wife, whose name he could place and his...daughter...' Sesshoumaru couldn't help the smile that spread over his features; the girl was obviously worried that he would remember that it was her that had bitten his tail all those years ago, and so, for her sake, he wouldn't bring it up. At least, not yet. He bowed low before her saying as sweetly as possible:  
  
"It is a pleasure meeting you my lady." Upon his declaration, he could sense the relief that seemed to flood off of her when he said nothing about the incident.  
  
"The pleasure is mine." She said pleasantly, bowing as well.  
  
Anistu and InuTaisho couldn't help but notice the little interlude between their children and smiled knowingly at each other. Sesshoumaru and Ikari both rose and he glanced out one of the high windows in the hall, judging the time.   
  
"Am I permitted to call off this thing now? It's about two and a half hours till sunset." He asked sourly, looking at his father.  
  
"Did you decide on anyone?" His father asked, hopefully.  
  
"You're actually asking?" was his annoyed response. InuTaisho sighed ruefully.  
  
"Fine, but don't tell them that. Give a little speech and make sure you don't hurt anyone's feelings. Lay it on thick." He instructed sagely. Sesshoumaru nodded then turned to face the   
milling crowd beneath him.   
  
Ikari could tell that the prince was very annoyed with the whole situation, and was, for some reason, quite relived. The thought of him picking out a bride from his group made some unknown emotion bubble up inside of her. Sesshoumaru had to clear his throat several times before everyone was silent and attentive.   
  
"My Lords and Ladies, I would like to thank you all very much for coming out here today, many of you traveled long distances to be here. I regret to announce that I have been unable to come to a decision today, given how many" he swallowed heavily before smiling again, "beautiful and charming women that are here for me to choose from. But be assured that I will continue to ponder out my decision and will be in contact. Thank you again."  
  
Everyone seemed happy when they were leaving, no one seemed to have taken offense but every parent was sure that their daughter would be the one he would pick. Sesshoumaru was all smiles when everyone was leaving, until the very last one was on their way home. Upon that time he trudged inside and literally threw himself onto a pile of pillows that had been place around for people to sit and lounge on.   
  
"You have no idea how happy I am that its over." He said to no one in particular. His father answered him.  
  
"Yes, yes. You can eat now too. I know you haven't had a chance to eat all day. I wasn't expecting that many people to show."  
  
A mischievous chuckle filled the hall, drawing all eyes to the prince.  
  
"Food," He said dreamily. "I haven't had any food since yesterday morning."   
  
Ikari couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips at the sight he made. Here was the Demon Prince of the Western Lands sprawled out on a pile of pillows, daydreaming about food. It just struck her as rather funny.  
  
Sesshoumaru popped an eye open to look at her when he heard the soft, musically laughter drift toward him. He could help but gaze at her again; everything about her seemed to fit perfectly, even her laughter. He closed his eye with a sigh. 'I wonder how long they're staying?'  
  
  
  
AN: Yay!!! I'm done with another chapter! *does happy dance* So, Fluffy and Ikari finally meet again. I really liked writing this chapter for some reason. I guess because it was slightly mushy. I'm a romantic, I can't help it. Anyway,   
  
Please review!!!!   
  
Praise, neutral, and constructive criticisms are welcome. 


	5. Author's note

Ignore this page please!! I figured out how to upload the chaps. So the words aren't all jumbled. Ch. 2 & 3 should be fixed soon!  
  
-Bishonen no Hime 


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